Cherry Bedside Tables

I finally finished a project that took a year to build. Not that it was particularly difficult or time-consuming, but I kept having little projects in the shop or around the house that caught my attention. What can I say, I’m easily distracted. Some parts aren’t perfect, but I think it turned out well enough. It was an immerse learning experience though. There were so many new techniques I was able to practice and learn from (along with mistakes along the way), since this is my biggest and “finest” furniture I built so far. I gave it to my mom for Christmas using exact measurements she gave me originally to fit the room.

Made out of cherry and cherry plywood for the panels. The drawers were made from poplar for the sides, and hardboard for the bottom. Finished with boiled linseed oil and finished using techniques in the Wood Whisperer’s varnishing DVD. But I also rubbed out the top with 600 grit sandpaper lubricated with mineral spirits for that extra extra smooth finish. Note to self next time: use even higher grits because I can see very light scratch marks when I look very closely. Everything was polished with breewax as well. I prefinished all the parts before glue-up to make the finishing process a lot easier. It was all darkened naturally in the sun for a few days.